


our memory

by yunyeos



Category: TRCNG (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Ambiguous Slash, Karaoke, M/M, Time Skips, Winter, kangmin becomes an idol
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-13
Updated: 2020-08-13
Packaged: 2021-03-05 21:34:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,554
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25872190
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yunyeos/pseuds/yunyeos
Summary: Hayoung and Kangmin met twice in the same setting but different circumstances. The first meeting couldn't be forgotten by either of them.
Relationships: Choi Hayoung/Kim Kangmin
Kudos: 2





	our memory

Hayoung was in his final year of high school, contemplating dropping out when he met Kangmin. He was a member of the football team and the pressure to continue the path in university was building up so much that it became overwhelming.  
  
They met in front of a karaoke room, accepting the invite from their mutual friends. Hayoung hadn’t seen his peers in a while but he was intrigued by the new face. Kangmin knew Hayoung but that wasn’t quite the case the other way around, which made Hayoung feel a little bad.  
  
Kangmin looked so young that Hayoung was surprised to learn that he was one year his junior and planned to become a singer. Hayoung couldn’t help but think that the boy was too hopeful for his own good.  
  
Hayoung was also a little flustered that an underclassman was more certain about his future than an actual senior, but something about his gentle smile and reserved behaviors put him at ease about everything.  
  
It was a winter day, one that tinted everyone’s faces pink if they didn’t wear a scarf. Kangmin was one of those people; all he wore to protect himself from the cold was a thin jacket. Hayoung felt his own face tingle from the frigid wind, their breaths coming out in visible puffs in the dry air.  
  
Finally, after their friends collected enough money for an hour-long session, they entered the karaoke room.  
  
“Just for the record, I don’t sing,” Hayoung informed everyone. He wasn’t sure if his friends sang either but they were indeed musical; Jisung played numerous instruments and Hohyeon was pretty interested in rapping, and there was Kangmin, who Hayoung assumed was very talented too. Meanwhile the last time Hayoung ever touched a piano was when he was five years old.  
  
“Oh, me neither. But it’s okay,” Hohyeon assured him. “This is just for fun anyway, so you can’t be that bad!”  
  
Jisung was excited to get things started. He picked up the console and scrolled through the songs. “Let’s do duets!”  
  
Jisung and Hohyeon went first, performing a hilarious rendition of “New Face” by PSY. They received a whopping ninety-five points and all four of them cheered at the score.  
  
Then it was Hayoung and Kangmin’s turn. The song was a ballad, one that Hayoung recognized playing in a restaurant once. He glanced over to Kangmin out of nerves and saw him gently swaying to the slow tempo. Hayoung was pretty reluctant to enjoy the moment but did so anyway, following Kangmin’s movements, feeling a bit like a blade of grass in the breeze.  
  
When it was Hayoung’s turn to sing, his voice came out a bit shakily at first but he soon got to the hang of it. His voice remained steady until the climax of the song, where Kangmin joined him in harmonizing with the high note. His voice blended beautifully with Hayoung’s and Hayoung found himself singing softer without realizing it, wanting to hear more of Kangmin’s voice.  
  
Hayoung stared wide-eyed at the TV before realizing that he was supposed to sing along.  
  
  
  
  
  
Hayoung didn’t see Kangmin again after that day. They exchanged polite smiles before they departed. Hayoung dropped out of the football team and focused on his studies. Not once did he see Kangmin at school, but deep down he wished that they could run into each other again.  
  
Hayoung graduated quietly, only attending the ceremony at his school and taking the bus home.  
  
To celebrate on his own, Hayoung went to the karaoke room alone and sang for an hour. He improved considerably compared to last time, but nowhere near Kangmin’s level.  
  
Hayoung attended a four year university and picked up a paid internship working at an office soon after his graduation. He moved out of his parents’ house and into an apartment still within his hometown.  
  
One day, he noticed a small yet colorful poster attached to the wall outside his work building. Surprisingly, it was an advertisement of Kim Kangmin, stating the details of his debut track. The song was a digital single to be released at midnight. In the center was a photo of him. His face appeared the same, although slimmer.  
  
Hayoung read over the glossy paper a few more times before deciding to take a photo of it with his phone.  
  
Once he got home in the late evening, he dumped his bag onto the bedroom floor and tossed himself onto his bed. He refreshed Kangmin’s Twitter page until it turned midnight in order to view the streaming and purchase links. Hayoung bought Kangmin’s song on iTunes the moment it came out and played it.  
  
He was curious what Kangmin’s matured voice sounded like. Even though years passed, Hayoung could still remember his voice. There was a sort of charm in his inexperienced tone then, but as Hayoung listened to the song, he noticed that Kangmin’s voice was lower and fuller. There was a charm in his husky tone and emotions portrayed in the song felt raw and genuine.  
  
Hayoung was unsure what to think of the track. Sometime during university, he began to develop an unreachable dream to become an idol. But he didn’t dance or sing. He convinced himself that he was being delusional and to just keep studying.  
  
Kangmin reached his dream to become a singer, but Hayoung thought his success was still uncertain.  
  
Hayoung brushed the thought aside. He put the song on loop and fell asleep.  
  
  
  
  
  
It was cold and there was barely anyone outside, the sun just about to set. Hayoung was lurking outside the karaoke room. Since high school he hadn’t stepped a foot inside, but for some reason he felt like doing it.  
  
He stalled, hoping he could change his own mind, go back home, and not waste money on the jukebox.  
  
But then he saw someone familiar. He didn’t wear a scarf. His cheeks and nose and ears were all pink.  
  
Hayoung was astonished to see him.  
  
“Oh!” Kangmin’s mouth formed a round shape. “It’s you!”  
  
Hayoung was almost embarrassed. His neck felt warm. “You remember me?”  
  
“Of course, Hayoung!” Kangmin turned and faced the building. “Were you going to head inside?”  
  
_No, I was just going to leave._  
  
“Yes, I was.”  
  
Kangmin’s eyes brightened. “So was I! Do you want to go together?”  
  
“Sure.”  
  
Just like the first time, they agreed on a duet. Kangmin hadn’t eaten yet so Hayoung bought some snacks and soda from the vending machine outside. Kangmin was seated on the couch, opening a bag of cheese balls as Hayoung scrolled through the songs.  
  
“Your song is here,” Hayoung noticed.  
  
“It is?” Kangmin stood up to see the TV better. He poked Hayoung’s arm. “You have to pick that.”  
  
So Hayoung picked it. Kangmin’s voice cracked on the first note. Hayoung doubled over from laughter.  
  
“That wasn’t supposed to happen!” Kangmin squawked and cleared his throat. “I blame it on the cheese balls!”  
  
The song was emotional but the air was lighthearted and cheerful. The two fed off of each other’s energy. Hayoung couldn’t resist the smile on his face as he sang. For a moment, he was indulging in his impossible dream.  
  
As the song ended, Kangmin lowered his microphone and said, “You knew all the words.”  
  
“I bought your song when it came out. But you didn’t even chart,” Hayoung teased him.  
  
Kangmin laughed. “I know! But it doesn’t matter.”  
  
“Why not?”  
  
“Because I’m happy.”  
  
  
  
  
  
Hayoung didn’t pass the chance to ask for Kangmin’s contact information. Because of his new idol career, he’s only allowed to have KakaoTalk. Hayoung was glad that he could reconnect with him and they exchanged numerous messages with each other over the course of several weeks.  
  
Usually, Hayoung didn’t listen to the radio, but Kangmin sent him a message telling him to listen to his live interview, so Hayoung tuned into the station during his free time at work. He lets the audio play in the background as he opened up his mobile game, but paused it when the host asked a certain question.  
  
“As a young artist, there must have been some influences for you to go down this career. Who exactly inspired you to sing?”  
  
“Well... I’ve always admired idols on TV when I was younger, but the person who sparked that motivation in me is actually someone I know,” Kangmin said.  
  
“Who is it?”  
  
“They’re not a celebrity, so I won’t say their name,” Kangmin clarified. “But we met on a cold day, just like this one. We sang together and their passion and talent resonated with me, even though they said they don’t sing. It made me wonder how someone untrained could be so skilled, and that motivated me even more than ever to practice hard.”  
  
“This memory must have been very impactful for you,” the host commented.  
  
“Yes it was. Actually, I met them again recently. They still sound amazing,” Kangmin said. Hayoung could practically hear his smile.  
  
They moved onto another topic but Hayoung’s head was spinning. He couldn’t believe that he was just cited as an influence to Kangmin’s idol career.  
  
Hayoung opened up his text with Kangmin. He wasn’t sure what to say, so he just sent a heart emoji and waited for the radio show to end so he could tease Kangmin some more. 


End file.
